The Ingredients Of Success: How El Bulli Chef Ferran Adria Shaped My Company

As an entrepreneur who founded the advertising industry’s first Omni-Channel media company, I often get asked how I got my business off the ground.

While there are many factors that lead to success, one reason is not related to advertising at all. Like everyone else these days, I am a foodie seeking the ideal culinary experience from Michelin star rated restaurants and chefs.

In the summer of 2002, a sequence of fortuitous events allowed me to be the only non-chef to ever work in Chef Ferran Adria kitchen at El Bulli.

Most people do not realize that a world-class Chef is also an entrepreneur, owner and CEO. Working at the chef’s table in El Bulli allowed me to learn from one of the best CEOs in the world.

Ferran has been awarded three Michelin Stars since 1997. El Bulli was voted the number one restaurant in the world a record five times.

You might be wondering how the inventor of culinary foam and expert in molecular gastronomy taught me how to maximize ROI for Fortune 500 companies digital advertising campaigns.

While I can sum it up in one word: Excellence. It is also a long story.

I was a foodie who got the privilege to work alongside the master as he guided me through molecular gastronomy. He taught me about his creative process and how to replicate that level of perfection over and over again. Being able to see the process and work ethic that went into these new concepts and then getting to taste the results showed me how to achieve success.

I knew I was witnessing someone and something special. I knew that I was having the best carefree summer of my life, living in Spain. What I did not realize, is that Ferran was not just showing me the ingredients to make liquid croquets, he was showing me the ingredients that made me the entrepreneur and CEO that I am today.

Here are 5 ingredients to business success I learned during my summer working 15 hours per day in the El Bulli kitchen:

DEMAND EXCELLENCE AND BE THE BEST: El Bulli was only open six months of the year. Ferran spent the remaining six months of the year perfecting recipes in a workshop in Barcelona. While reality shows portray great chefs as untenable bosses, Ferran taught me that it is okay to demand excellence and be the very best. Yet, it need not be done in a demeaning way. When I was a young man working at El Bulli, I did not yet know what I wanted to be professionally. But what I learned was, no matter what you do, if you mix talent and hard work you will achieve excellence and success.

TRUST YOUR TEAM AND DELEGATE: No amount of innate talent can make your business a success if you do not trust your team and learn to delegate. Ferran demanded peak performance but also knew he could not cook 50 – 30 course meals at once. The best entrepreneurs have a vision and ultimately assemble the right team to realize that vision. Again, not realizing it, I was learning how to hire and train the best, coach a team, manage egos and put everyone on my staff in positions to achieve maximum performance. Success in any field – culinary, military, sports or business – is a team game.

BE CREATIVE, BE A VISIONARY: While culinary foam is now commonplace, Ferran was the inventor. He also introduced hot ice cream, liquid olives and much more. A good business person can study the marketplace and find their place within it. Legendary entrepreneurs create a new marketplace, one that nobody else has ever envisioned.

EVERY DETAIL MATTERS: While everything starts with the big-picture strategy, it will not be successful if it is not completed down to the finest detail. In El Bulli, I watched Estagiers, Sous, and Chef de Partirs check every plate as it left the kitchen to ensure every drop of oil, leaf of microgreen, and shave of truffle was precise. As an entrepreneur, it similarly starts with a vision, but flawless and detailed execution is the ultimate driver of success.

NO JOB IS TOO SMALL: Chefs at El Bulli would rotate between the 'small kitchen' and 'large kitchen'. The small kitchen was the preparation taking place behind-the-scenes, while the big kitchen was on display and it allowed the guests to watch the magical process. The small and large kitchen teams would rotate every week, so myself and everyone else contributed to the entire process of bringing Ferran's menu to life. At PK4 Media, we are not hung up on titles and instead focus on an inclusive environment where everyone gets to learn all aspects of the business. This allows me to learn my employee’s strengths and weaknesses, so I can position everyone where they can produce the most value for our agency partners, brand clients, and our company.

Aspiring entrepreneurs should speak to as many people as they can because each success story is unique. Inspiration and lessons can come from anywhere. In my case, what was supposed to be a foodie’s dream summer in Spain ended up teaching me lessons that I apply every single day.

I am the Founder and CEO of PK4 Media, the advertising industry’s first Omni-Channel PMP Company. PK4 is the only company that serves video and display ads across all of the following channels: Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, CTV, VOD, In-Mall, In-Theater and Digital-Out-Of-Home....